High Court in Hong Kong Rejects Visa Bid for Lesbian Spouse

A lesbian in Hong Kong lost a legal bid that took on the Immigration Department that denied her a visa for her spouse. The disappointing verdict said that the term spouse did not include her wife and that it was up to the Department to determine what married and unmarried means. The ruling has far-reaching effects. This could mean that expats wishing to relocate to live and work in Hong Kong may not be allowed to bring their spouses.

According to South China Morning Post: “To treat “same-sex marriage-like relationships” as equivalent to legal marriages in Hong Kong, he wrote, would mean the department had accepted civil partnerships “through the back door”, which was unlawful.”